Letters of Hope for Conrad

Being that Sept. 22 was a national day of action, the people of Fargo were ready to get out in the name of health care reform. A protest took place in front of Blue Cross Blue Shield, with signs including “BCBS Profits make me Sick” and “People B4 Profits.” Activists took to the street to let the insurance company know that they were upset about the high profits compared to low coverage.

Along with the protest, Cindy Shawcross hand delivered a petition of over 2000 signatures in support of the public option for healthcare reform to Senator Kent Conrad’s (D-NPL) office. The pile stood 45 pages strong, listing people who want Senator Conrad to fight for the public.

“We want someone in the senate financing committee to be fighting for us,” said Shawcross.

Putting a human face to health care reform, a stack of hand written letters was given with the petition. The notebook pages told real stories of people from North Dakota who desperately need health care reform.

Shawcross highlighted specific stories and reoccurring themes from the letters. Many references the problems posed with pre-existing conditions—people who have become sick at work, and were unable to continue working, and lost their health care. When they went to look for work again with new health insurance, it counted as a pre-existing condition and wouldn’t cover it.

Letters talked about people who had tried to start small businesses, and couldn’t afford coverage for themselves or employees. Not being able to pay off medical bills or insurance coverage, parents were forced to live with their grown children, or people had to rely on friends to avoid becoming homeless.

Many of the problems and the complaints of the people come because of Blue Cross Blue Shield. The letters talked about how there was one option when buying insurance here, and if you couldn’t afford Blue Cross Blue Shield or the company denied coverage, you didn’t have health insurance in North Dakota.

These letters and petition showed that the people of North Dakota wanted a public option to help compete with Blue Cross Blue Shield, to help keep prices in check and provide another option if denied coverage.

“Blue Cross Blue Shield is the only option for many North Dakotans,” said Shawcross. “There is no competition.”

The stories were brought to Pamela Mohl and Jasper Schneider in the Federal Building downtown, to be sent to Conrad in D.C.  Shawcross talked about reading the letter with her 11-year-old daughter in preparation, and her daughter needed a break because the letters were too sad to read.

Jennifer Walla came with to personally tell her troubles with health insurance costs. She graduated college and was no longer covered by her parents’ health care.  Having graduated, Walla was heavily in debt and couldn’t afford the cost of Blue Cross Blue Shield. She rode her bike to get around, not being able to afford a car, and when she was the victim of a hit and run, her life had to change drastically.

Her story reflected the problems held by many others in the letters. The people being hurt most by the lack of affordable health care is the middle class, or the ones described by Shawcross as “the people doing too well to get help, but not enough to get by.”

The shrinking middle class cannot continue to survive under this health care system, but with health care reform and a good public option, competition can be provided where it wasn’t before, and insurance can be provided to those left behind.

Shawcross was informed that the letters would be delivered to Washington to Senator Conrad, and that letters that tell personal stories are always important in a debate like this.